[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 7035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-3697]
[[Page 7035]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[UT-060-05-3800-006, UTU-72499]
Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement
for SUMMO USA Corporation; Lisbon Valley Open Pit Copper Mine in San
Juan County, UT
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the final environmental impact
statement prepared for SUMMO USA Corporation's Lisbon Valley Open Pit
Copper Mine in San Juan County, Utah.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 202 of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been
prepared, under third party contract, by the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Moab District Office. The FEIS has been prepared to analyze
impacts and alternatives for SUMMO USA Corporation's proposed Lisbon
Valley Open Pit Copper Mine. The proposed project would occur on 1103
acres of federal, state, and private lands located in San Juan County,
Utah.
Copies of the FEIS can be obtained from the Moab District Office at
82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab, Utah, or by calling (801) 259-6111 and
requesting a copy of the document. Additionally, copies of the FEIS
will be distributed to all attendees at the scoping meetings, public
meeting, and individuals, agencies or companies that have previously
submitted comments or requested to be placed on the mailing list to
receive a copy of the FEIS.
DATES: Following Federal Register publication by the Environmental
Protection Agency of the Notice of Availability of the FEIS, a 30 day
review period will be provided prior to issuance of the Record of
Decision. The anticipated date of EPA Federal Register publication is
February 14, 1997. The Record of Decision would not be issued until
after the 30 day review period is complete.
ADDRESSES: Request for copies of the FEIS should be addressed to: Kate
Kitchell, Moab District Manager, Bureau of Land Management, 82 East
Dogwood Avenue, Moab, Utah, 84532.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Lynn Jackson, Project Coordinator, Moab
Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, 82 East Dogwood Avenue, Moab,
Utah, 84532, (801) 259-6111.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS analyzes a proposal by SUMMO USA
Corporation of Denver, Colorado, to develop an open pit copper mining
and heap leaching operation on 1103 acres of private fee lands, state
leases and unpatented mining claims in south Lisbon Valley, located
approximately 18 miles southeast of LaSal, Utah, in San Juan County,
Utah.
The copper ore would be mined by conventional open pit mining
methods from four open pits, encompassing 231 total acres, utilizing
drilling, blasting and ripping of the ore and associated overburden.
Approximately 93 million cubic yards of overburden would be removed and
stockpiled in three waste dumps encompassing 394 acres total.
Approximately 42 million cubic yards of copper bearing ore would be
mined from the pits and hauled by truck to a 266 acre lined leach pad.
The ore would be crushed and stacked on the leach pad to a height of
100 feet. The copper would then be recovered by a heap leaching method,
utilizing low concentrations of sulfuric acid trickled through the
stacked ore pad. The leached copper solution would emanate from the
bottom of the leach pad, and be recovered in lined ponds after
percolating through the stacked ore. This recovered solution would be
further refined by standard solvent extraction and electrowinning
processes located on-site.
The project is currently projected to have a 10 year mining life.
The facilities are designed to mine an average of 16,500 tons of ore
per day, to produce 17,000 tons of 99.99% pure copper cathodes per
year. SUMMO would employ up to 143 people at one time over the life of
the project. The construction workforce would be approximately 80
people. Processing would continue after mining ceases for an additional
one year.
To the extent possible, reclamation would occur simultaneously with
mining. Final closure and reclamation activities would take
approximately 5 years. All waste dumps and the leach pad would be
reclaimed in place by covering with a 12 inch layer of cover soil and
re-vegetating. The leach pad would be rinsed with fresh water and
chemically treated to reduce residual acidic levels in the stacked ore
to neutral pH levels prior to closure. The 231 area of open pits would
remain. Long-term monitoring of potential groundwater impacts would
occur for a period of 25 years after mining operations are completed.
Summo has proposed a reclamation bond of $8.6 million dollars.
Provisions would also require the posting of a long-term trust bond
commensurate with the long-term monitoring requirements, to provide
financial assurances in the event long-term monitoring identifies
adverse impacts.
The FEIS analyzes environmental impacts from SUMMO's proposal,
along with four alternatives designed to mitigate environmental impacts
associated with this project, as identified during the scoping and
public comment process. These alternatives are: (1) No Action, (2) Open
Pit Backfilling, (3) Facility Layout, and (4) Waste Rock Selective
Handling.
BLM's Preferred Alternative is a combination of the Facility Layout
Alternative and the Waste Rock Selective Handling Alternative, which in
essence would allow the project to proceed with modifications to the
layout of waste rock dumps to minimize impacts to soils, sedimentation
and visual resources, along with selectively handling potentially acid
generating waste rock in the waste dump piles to eliminate to the
extent possible the potential for long-term acid generation at the
project site.
Dated: February 3, 1997.
Katherine Kitchell,
Moab District Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-3697 Filed 2-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DQ-P
